Diaz thanks movie crew for helping after father's death

The star was filming My Sister's Keeper last year (08) when her beloved dad, Emilio, died suddenly after a bout of pneumonia.

Production was shut down for two weeks to allow the actress to come to terms with her loss.

And Diaz admits that when she went back to work, she was overwhelmed by the support of her pals.

She tells People.com, "I was really, really fortunate to have these people to come back to. Being able to go back to the group of people who were there waiting for me was a blessing... so that's really sort of the only way I was able to do it."

And the movie's director, Nick Cassavetes, has praised Diaz for being so strong during such a difficult time.

He adds, "You really have to say that people are more important than movies, and we forget that sometimes. We were all stunned to find out that he had died so suddenly and, apparently, he was a hell of a guy and a gigantic influence on Cameron.

"She was like the rest of us - a rag doll and unsure and didn't know what country she was in and truly wasn't fully able to comprehend what had happened to her. But, being the consummate professional that she was, she always comes prepared. It was more of an experience of her getting through it."